Greencastle-Antrim tweaks it's school bus policy

GREENCASTLE, Pa. — The Greencastle-Antrim School Board on Thursday approved a change to the district’s transportation policy, saying the current policy is a safety issue for students.

Schools Superintendent C. Gregory Hoover said at the meeting that what the district currently has is “a taxi service.”

By a 5-0 vote, the nine-member board approved a new policy that would require a consistent morning and afternoon districtwide bus schedule, with exceptions granted only by the district’s director of transportation.

Board members Joel Fridgen, William Thorne, Melinda Cordell and Michael Still were not present for the vote.

Currently, parents can write a note in the morning, give it to their child and the responsibility lies on the child to go through the proper channels, Transportation Director Travis Blubaugh said.

That will no longer be allowed, Blubaugh said.

“We had one student every day had a different place to go,” Hoover said.

“This will tighten that up a bit and make it safer for our students,” he said.

The new policy goes into effect the beginning of the school year.

Blubaugh said parents will receive a letter explaining the policy before the beginning of school on Aug. 26 and the information will be posted on the website.

“We want a consistent schedule five days a week. We have different a.m. and p.m. stops for kids, and I understand that. There are a lot of kids that go to day care. Their schedule can be different in the a.m. and p.m., but it needs to be consistent five days a week,” Blubaugh said.

If the need arises to change a child’s bus assignment for a period of time due to a temporary change in child care or work schedule, parents may request a bus assignment change by completing and submitting a temporary bus change form with him, Blubaugh said.

He said the form will be approved or denied within 48 hours.

In case of an emergency, Blubaugh said to call the transportation department to discuss a change in bus schedule.